Bonnie and Clyde, the infamous crime committing duo, gained national recognition for their highly publicized crime spree in the 1930’s. While many people are familiar with the names Bonnie and Clyde, many do not know the true story behind the events that came to an abrupt end on March 23, 1934.
Bonnie, born Bonnie Marie Parker was born in Texas in 1910. Her father died when she was very young leaving her mother to fend for three children. Her mother, unable to afford their home, was forced to move to Dallas and the family lived in poverty. Bonnie excelled in high school and was an honor roll student. Bonnie was small in stature at only 4 feet and 11 inches tall, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in pure determination and strong will.
Bonnie married Roy Thornton at fifteen, which was not at all uncommon in the era. Her marriage was short lived, however she never legally divorced. Accounts of her life report that when she was killed she was still wearing his wedding band when she was gunned down by authorities. Bonnie met Clyde while she was working as a waitress. Some accounts describe their relationship as love at first sight. Bonnie stood by Clyde throughout their entire crime spree, many conflicting stories are told, in nearly every account Bonnie is depicted as non-aggressive. Family members contend that Bonnie never fired a shot during their crime rampage.
Clyde Barrows was around the same age as Bonnie; however there are conflicting reports as to his exact date of birth. Some say he was born in 1910 and others in 1911. His family history is also unclear. A few sources cite that he had 8 brothers and sisters, while others report only 7. His first brush with the law was in 1926. He was arrested for not returning a car to a rental company on time. He later was arrested along with his brother for having stolen turkeys. Authors who have written his biography have said that Clyde felt guilty about the crimes he committed. There is no strong evidence to prove this theory. Clyde began his crime spree as retaliation to the Texas justice system for the way he was treated during the time of his arrests.
In 1933, while running form authorities the duo drove their car off of a ravine. The car caught fire and injured Bonnie, burning her severely. Clyde insisted that they take time for her to heal and rented a cabin. He went into town to purchase first aid supplies for Bonnie and the store clerk contacted police. A gunfight ensued, but the duo escaped unharmed.
A law enforcement officer, who had never seen the duo, studied their crime spree and discovered a method to the madness. He gathered a posse of deputies and hid along a narrow stretch of road and was successfully able to ambush the two as they traveled. The couple was never given the option to surrender and the officers did not even identify themselves. A gunfight began and Clyde was shot in the head killing him instantly. Bonnie did not die from the initial round of gunfire. Reports state that the officers first used handguns, then rifles, and followed those up by shotguns. They continued shooting long after the car had stopped and was no longer a threat. Bonnie could be heard giving a blood curdling scream during the shower of bullets. There have been reports that each of their bodies contained over fifty bullets each.
The controversy over the entire incident is still discussed today. We may never know the entire story of the life and death of Bonnie and Clyde. What we do know is they were a deeply troubled couple and committed many heinous crimes and they were very much in love and extremely loyal to one another.
